Metaphor in scientific discourse

Author: Dong Hongle
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-03-01
Features: Based on a review of academic research on metaphor, this book employs the theoretical frameworks of contemporary cognitive linguistics and functional linguistics to examine the metaphorical nature of scientific discourse from a novel sociocultural perspective. To argue for the metaphorical nature of scientific discourse, the book first discusses the relationship between science, poetics, and rhetoric. The core research question is the manifestation, function, and characteristics of lexical metaphor and grammatical metaphor in scientific discourse, as well as the complementarity between the two types of metaphor. It becomes evident that metaphor is ubiquitous in seemingly objective scientific discourse because metaphor plays an indispensable role in both scientific exploration and the dissemination of scientific thought. This study provides new insights for examining the essence of science and interpreting scientific discourse.